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Oct 2009

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Potential NFL "Awareness Week" - Human Trafficking

I was wondering if anyone can give me a tip for writing a letter to the NFL to see if they will sponsor a "Human Trafficking Awareness" week (or weeks) at some point in the 2010 NFL season. I believe the human trafficking awareness color is orange. It beats the heck out the pink for breast cancer. That's got to count for something right? :P

Also, would anyone be on-board with "signing" such a letter/petition?

You guys may not know this but it is estimated that human trafficking has overtaken drug trafficking for the #2 spot. Arms trafficking is still #1. I believe this is estimated in annual revenue.

One of the best ways to fight human trafficking is simply to raise awareness. It is very likely that there are people being trafficked/enslaved within a 5-10 mile radius of where you live. It is estimated that runaway teenage girls have a 9/10 chance of falling victim to human trafficking. On average, a young prostitute brings in abut $180K of revenue yearly. If she picks up a disease/sickness from one of the clients, she is simply thrown away like a used paper cup. It's cheaper/less risk to bring in a replacement. Human trafficking, from the perspective of the traffickers, has become a low-risk/high-reward venture. By raising awareness, we can all do something to help fight this.

Here are some web-sites dedicated to putting a stop to human trafficking if you are interested ...

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Re: Potential NFL "Awareness Week" - Human Trafficking

A few thoughts:

1. It is too late to do this for 2010. The NFL would have something like this mapped out well in advance and in particular would be making sure that there primary advertisers are on board with it (or at least not adverse - see below).

2. As an individual, I think you would have a tough time pulling it off. You would do better finding a non-profit that you could volunteer for, put together a strategy that could be executed and would have a reasonable chance of achieving the stated goal. Expect a lot of work. You are going to have to pull together a large petition. Maybe part of your plan will be going to every NFL related forum you can find and asking for support -- but that's not easy because first post + link = spam in a lot of people's minds.

3. What's in it for the NFL? Being honest, I think the whole breast cancer awareness week is, to a certain extent, just marketing junk. There is already a huge movement in this country to address breast cancer and the NFL is sorta tagging along because it puts them in good graces with a lot of people who personally know somebody who has had the condition or who has participate in a breast cancer fund raising event. As an added plus, it particularly endears the NFL to one of its key growth demographics: women. I think you will need to come up with an angle for the NFL that goes beyond pure altruism. This year, pay very close attention to how the pink week goes and identify the marketing angles the NFL is using. You would need to position the orange week as offering similar (or analogous) benefits.

4. How would nike and other sporting apparel makers view this? Let's face it, Nike and others have engaged in some shady labor practices in the past and this may be a can of worms the NFL doesn't want to open. This is just an off the top of my head statement but I think it is something to consider -- if you haven't already.

Interesting idea and I wish you the best of luck. A while back, I did some work for a non-profit involved in global education issues. Obviously, in some countries education is the antidote to human trafficking. So while doing this work I had some exposure to the issue of girls trafficking and it is a very disturbing subject.

In response to his pleas, an officer said: "You think we've never arrested somebody that's made national media? ... We deal with the Bengals all the time."

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Re: Potential NFL "Awareness Week" - Human Trafficking

Originally Posted by snarky

A few thoughts:

1. It is too late to do this for 2010. The NFL would have something like this mapped out well in advance and in particular would be making sure that there primary advertisers are on board with it (or at least not adverse - see below).

2. As an individual, I think you would have a tough time pulling it off. You would do better finding a non-profit that you could volunteer for, put together a strategy that could be executed and would have a reasonable chance of achieving the stated goal. Expect a lot of work. You are going to have to pull together a large petition. Maybe part of your plan will be going to every NFL related forum you can find and asking for support -- but that's not easy because first post + link = spam in a lot of people's minds.

3. What's in it for the NFL? Being honest, I think the whole breast cancer awareness week is, to a certain extent, just marketing junk. There is already a huge movement in this country to address breast cancer and the NFL is sorta tagging along because it puts them in good graces with a lot of people who personally know somebody who has had the condition or who has participate in a breast cancer fund raising event. As an added plus, it particularly endears the NFL to one of its key growth demographics: women. I think you will need to come up with an angle for the NFL that goes beyond pure altruism. This year, pay very close attention to how the pink week goes and identify the marketing angles the NFL is using. You would need to position the orange week as offering similar (or analogous) benefits.

4. How would nike and other sporting apparel makers view this? Let's face it, Nike and others have engaged in some shady labor practices in the past and this may be a can of worms the NFL doesn't want to open. This is just an off the top of my head statement but I think it is something to consider -- if you haven't already.

Interesting idea and I wish you the best of luck. A while back, I did some work for a non-profit involved in global education issues. Obviously, in some countries education is the antidote to human trafficking. So while doing this work I had some exposure to the issue of girls trafficking and it is a very disturbing subject.

Good thoughts snarky.

1. Then I'll shoot for 2011 or 2012.
2. I do realize it's a bit of tsunami here.
3. I'm thinking the NFL may be inclined to one week or so for image purposes.
4. Those thoughts did occur to me. But, hey, I gotta try.

Very interesting point. Sometimes I go around in a daze, not aware of the obvious. If it fights human trafficking, then I'm all for it.

NEW YORK -- Disgraced NFL great Lawrence Taylor admitted paying for sex at a suburban Holiday Inn where police say he raped a 16-year-old runaway, federal prosecutors said Friday in a criminal complaint against the girl's alleged pimp.

The papers filed in federal court in Manhattan refer to Taylor only as "Client-1."

In the paperwork, authorities claim the Pro Football Hall of Famer told police following his arrest on Thursday that he had taken a car service from Newark International Airport to the hotel north of New York City to meet "Victim-1."

Taylor told investigators that after "engaging in sex acts" with the victim, he paid her $300 in cash, the complaint says. The man charged in the complaint, Rasheed Davis, had told the Giants legend that the girl was 19, the court papers say.

Taylor, 51, was charged Thursday in Suffern, N.Y. with third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute. His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, has denied the charges.

Davis was to appear in federal court later Friday on a charge of sex trafficking of a minor.

The girl, who was reported missing by her family in March, met Davis at a Bronx bus stop two to three weeks ago. The federal complaint says she told investigators that the 36-year-old parolee offered her a place to live and a way to make money.

She said that Davis gave her Ecstasy and marijuana before causing her "to engage in multiple commercial sex acts" for prices ranging from $80 to $150. He advertised her services by sending cell phone photos of her and posting ads on websites, the complaint says.

On Wednesday, Davis sent the girl a text message in which he said he wanted her to have sex with "Client-1" for $300, the complaint says. When she refused, Davis assaulted her, drove her to the hotel against her will and waited outside while she had sex with Taylor, it says.

Late Wednesday and early Thursday, the girl sent text messages to her uncle saying she was in trouble. The uncle called police, who arrested Davis once he returned to the Bronx with the teenager.

Police believe Taylor used a middleman to arrange the liaison, but said Friday they hadn't identified that person.

Davis was sentenced in April 1994 to eight to 25 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter. He was paroled in March 2008.

Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and led them to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

A 10-time Pro Bowl selection, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.

The weight-loss company NutriSystem Inc. said Friday it had dropped Taylor as a spokesman because of his arrest.